Talk show host Bethenny Frankel has a different take on the demise of her former assistant — the woman did not quit, she was fired!

The 42-year-old has ordered her lawyers to fire off a legal letter to the woman, only identified to date as Marilyn, reminding her that she signed a confidentiality agreement and warning her not to talk publicly about the breakdown of their working relationship.

Frankel suspects Marilyn is behind the leak of her sudden departure from the ex-reality star’s camp and reports of apparent drama behind-the-scenes.

“Marilyn quit after less than a month because Bethenny was so mean to her,” a source told the New York Post, at the weekend. “Marilyn has a lot of experience working with celebrities and complained she had ‘never been treated this badly.'”

Rejecting the report, a source close to the situation told RadarOnline.com: “Marilyn was fired several weeks ago because she was just creating a lot of drama behind the scenes. Bethenny tried to make it work with Marilyn, but their personalities clashed. Marilyn had a hard time with authority and seemed to be forgetting that Bethenny was the boss.

The insider noted Marilyn’s contract was iron clad and stated “employees post-employment are never allowed to talk about their work. It’s essentially a gag clause!”

Warned the Frankel insider: ” Bethenny is used to the negative stories, but she will hold people accountable in her inner circle for trying to tarnish everything she has worked hard to achieve.”

Our source said the ex-Real Housewives of New York star has already hired a new assistant and “things are running smoothly” as producers prepare for the Sept. 9 launch of the show on FOX stations around the country.